From 12noon on Thursday more than 30 community groups will set up their 15 foot puppet monster Mr Frackhead to make their views known to county councillors about potential fracking plans.

Pam Foster from Residents Action on Fylde Fracking said: “Lancashire offers some of the UK’s finest scenery and our coastline attracts millions of visitors every year. The combined estuaries of the region are recognised as being one of the most important assemblies of estuaries in Europe for migrating birds.

“All of this is under threat from the ‘dash for gas’. The Government’s determination to press ahead with fracking in our area threatens tourism, agriculture and our environment with industrialisation and pollution. We need to protect our beautiful county by keeping shale in the ground and pursuing a renewable energy policy that will create jobs and protect not just Lancashire’s environment but that of the whole country.”

Barbara Richardson from Roseacre Awareness Group, which is opposing plans for fracking in Roseacre village, Fylde, said: “We are very proud of our county and its wonderful heritage particularly our thriving tourism and agriculture sectors. We are privileged to live in a such wonderful area with such beautiful countryside and variety of wildlife. This is why our group strongly oppose Cuadrilla’s plans to extract shale gas from beneath our feet and turn our precious countryside into the largest gas field in Western Europe. We need to protect our environment and the people who live here and believe clean renewable energy sources are the way forward not dirty fossil fuels.

“We choose to live here because of all that is good and we will do all we can to protect what we hold most dear. We want everyone to enjoy this day by celebrating everything that is good about Lancashire from the stunning fells to Blackpool Tower, hotpots and black puddings.”

What do you think about fracking in Lancashire? To frack or not to frack? Let us know in the comments below